Friday, February 22, 2013

SBB: Untangling The Knot



BLURB:  
“I did what?”

Twenty-eight year old Gabriella Bessu is St. Therese’s meticulous wedding ceremony coordinator. So the fact that she has mistakenly signed her newest couple up for an annulment, rather than a wedding, sends her Catholic guilt into overdrive.

But who can blame her? The groom is gorgeous and his two kids tug at Gabriella’s heart in a way that overcomes all her best intentions. Before long she’s in over her head, fixing her mixed-up plans and helping the children and dad come to terms with their haunting grief for the mother and wife they lost years earlier.

Can Gabriella untangle her own fears and accept the messy life that God has handed them?
EXCERPT:
 Gabriella heard Mandy’s screech all the way down the corridor. Oh no! That didn’t sound good. She’d sort of thought Mandy appeared wound up when they had first arrived at the office but she couldn’t imagine what would have made her explode like that.

She didn’t have to wait long to find out. Seconds later, Mandy stormed into her office pointing a piece of paper at her like a gun. Within moments, Ryan and Fr. O’Shea followed her through the door, Ryan seeming confused and Fr. O looking apologetic.

“There is no way . . .. I can tell you, NO WAY that Tina would have said I was not ready to get married. This is beyond crazy.” She turned to Fr. O’Shea and waved her arm in Gabriella’s direction.

“Okay, let’s slow down a little, honey.” Ryan tried to calm her. “We need to find out what happened from Gabriella.”

He studied Gabriella questioningly, but she could only stand mute, shaking her head.

“Bri, you took Tina’s statement, right?”

Gabriella nodded her head.

“Did she say anything to you to make you think”—Fr. O. stopped and gently took the paper from Mandy’s manic grasp—“that Mandy might not be prepared for being a wife or mother.”
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
With an English teacher for a mom, DEANNE WILSTED, grew up reciting conjugation instead of nursery rhymes. Now, forty years later, she's sharing that special skill through her writing and her mothering. Her first book, a contemporary romance called BETTING JESSICA, was released October 2011. Her second Novel, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, is due out in February 2013 from Soul Mate Publishing. She is currently marketing her third book for publication and writing her fourth, fifth and sixth while blogging about the crazy stuff she overhears while writing.
LINKS:
Author Follow Links –
Amazon author page - http://amzn.com/e/B005YHFBQ2

Untangling the Knot Purchase Links
http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/untangling-the-knot/



Thursday, February 21, 2013

Jobs Accomplished...Or Not


I have or have not...

Pilled the cat:  Oh yes
Cleaned litter boxes: Yes, sigh
Dusted:  Oops
Mopped the floors: Uh, no
Vacuumed:   Dang, I knew I forgot something
Laundry: Ah-ha, I did do that
Worked on Love, Lattes and Mutants: Er, not as much as I was supposed to
Blogged: Working on it
Visited blog buds: Soon, very soon 
Gotten taxes ready to take to the accountant:  Yes! Yes, yes, yes yes! And that one is done for the year!

How's your projects coming this week?



Wednesday, February 20, 2013

One day it's a sunny 60 degrees

And the next....
I took a shower and when I came out there was snow on the ground.  When we drove around town we saw all the little kids out building snowmen.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

VBT:David Gelber's Minotaur Revisited



With us today is David Gelber. David, do you have a day job and if so what is it?
My primary means of supporting myself is as a general surgeon. Writing is my second line of work. When the surgeon life becomes very busy my writing diminishes considerably. Even so, I’ve managed to write five books, two short stories and numerous articles which appear on my blog and at various other venues around the Internet.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I had to Google “pantser” to find out what it was. My first thought was that it was someone who became short of breath when exercising, but then I realized that would be “panter.” Then I thought it may be a type of flower, but soon discovered that’s a pansy. Luckily, we have google, which informed me that “pantser” is a writer who goes by the seat of his pants, as opposed to a plotter who plans everything out before committing a word to paper.
I usually work out story lines in my head, sometimes writing them down in very brief form.  Then I sit at my computer and write it out, creating as I go. I suppose that makes me more a “pantser.”
Do you prefer self-publishing or a publisher?
I have self-published most of my work. I have my own company “Ruffian Press” and use “Lightning Source” as printer, Kindle Direct Publishing and Pubit! For the e-books.
Does your muse work 24/7 or take more vacation days than she's entitled to?
I’ve been looking for my muse for several years now. I thought I saw her when I first started, but that was just a reflection of my dog in the mirror. Then I was on vacation in Las Vegas and caught a glimpse of her at a blackjack table at the Bellagio. She managed to escape, however, only to reappear months later in the operating room at the hospital where I work. She taunted while sitting on one of the surgical lights. Needless to say, I was otherwise occupied allowing her to elude me once again.
One time I thought I saw her sitting on the edge of the bed. I snuck up behind her, grabbed her and put my hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. I carried her into the attic and tried to lock her in a trunk. Unfortunately, I discovered too late that it was my wife and not my Muse. I had to sleep on the couch for a month.
Seriously, I am always thinking of things to write. Sometimes the simplest thing will trigger an idea and an article for my blog or storyline for a future book is born.
BLURB:  
Legend states that the Minotaur was confined to the Labyrinth, slain by Theseus and then laid to rest by thousands of years of Greek mythology. But, the truth is far different. Read the Minotaur’s own words as he recounts his full life as god, king, warrior, matchmaker, midwife, monk, sage, father, mother, husband and, most of all, witness. The fierce Minotaur lived to see and be a part of the best and worst of humanity during a life spanning thousands of years. Part bull, part human, the Minotaur struggled to find his place in this world and, in the end, left his unique mark on history.
EXCERPT:
AUTHOR INFORMATION:David Gelber, a New York native, is the seventh of nine sons and one of three to pursue medicine. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1980 and went on to graduate medical school in 1984 from the University of Rochester.
Gelber has been a surgeon for more than 20 years, but over the last few years he began to pursue his passion for writing, initially with his debut novel, "Future Hope" (Emerald Book Company, January 2010). The novel speculates about future Earth and what the world might have been like if man had not succumbed to temptation in the Garden of Eden. "Joshua and Aaron" is a sequel to "Future Hope" and follows the battle of wills that transpires between unsung hero Joshua Smith and satanic Aaron Diblonski.
Dr. Gelber has added two books about surgery, "Behind the Mask" and "Under the Drapes", both of which provide the reader with a view of the world of surgery rarely seen by those outside the medical professions.
"Last Light" is an apocalyptic short story which starts off asking the question: "What would happen if nobody ever was sick or injured?"
"Minotaur Revisited" is an entertaining romp through history seen through the eyes of Quint, the famed half bull half man monster of Greek Mythology. It was in October 2012.
Gelber was raised in reformed Judaism, but joined the Presbyterian Church 15 years ago. He is married with three teenage children, four dogs and 24 birds of various species. His interests include horse racing, mechanical Swiss watches and, of course, writing.
LINKS:­­­­­­­

David will be awarding a $100 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter at the conclusion of the two tours.

Monday, February 18, 2013

VBT:Name Before the Masses





How is writing psychological fiction different from writing a romance or murder mystery?

I’m making the comparison with the other two genres you mentioned strictly as a reader, since I don’t write in either of those genres. It’s my observation that in the romance genre, the hero and the heroine want the same thing; to come together, give in to their passion, although neither one knows it at the beginning or they fight it, deny it all together. In psychological fiction, the protagonist wants to be as far away as possible from the antagonist whether the antagonist is a person, event, circumstance, or the war going on in his/her head. In crime fiction, the hero wants to catch the bad guy who’s committing vicious crimes, usually murder. In psychological fiction, the bad guy isn’t necessarily a murderer.

Psychological fiction places a strong emphasis on motives, circumstances and internal actions, which manifests themselves externally. This genre delves into not only what happened but why. My novel Conspiracy of Silence is a psychological thriller and the psychological thriller borrows from the mystery, suspense and thriller genres but reverses the structure of the traditional thriller. The traditional thriller emphasizes the plot and physical action and tension. The psychological thriller emphasizes the characters and in Conspiracy of Silence, the protagonist has to use her mental resources to match wits with a formidable opponent, all the while battling for balance and understanding in her own mind about her circumstances.
BLURB:
She has the perfect life—and a secret worth killing for.

Nina Kasai is a gorgeous, Ivy League educated executive who would do anything to keep her past a secret, even from her husband. Seventeen years ago, she ran for her life and the truth has been locked away in the pages of her hidden diary, and in the mind of a disturbed woman who will never tell—ever.

When Nina lands the cover of a prestigious business magazine however, she can no longer hide from the powerful enemy she escaped. Phillip Copeland wants to be the next Governor of Massachusetts and he’s not above using his power and influence to silence Nina. He warns her to keep quiet about what happened all those years ago—or else.

As the stakes are raised, both politically and personally, Nina realizes the only way to win this game is to tell the truth. But who will believe her since her diary has been destroyed, and the only other witness isn’t talking?

Nina’s one chance at reclaiming her life hinges on a dramatic courtroom battle where nothing is as it seems. And when the verdict is read, four lives will be forever altere
Excerpt:
The telephone rang at three a.m. A drowsy Nina answered it.
“I have bad news.”
She didn’t need a psychic to tell her that. It was three in the morning.
“What is it?” she asked Dan McCloud.

“It’s Constance Buckwell. She’s dead, Nina.”

Nina turned on the lamp on the nightstand and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“How could she be dead? I just spoke to her last night. She emphatically told me she was going to lie on the witness stand.”

“It’s a tough break, for her and for us.” Dan McCloud couldn’t hide his disappointment. Even at this ungodly hour, he was thinking like a lawyer.

“How did she die?” Nina asked.

“Heart attack. She was on her way home and collapsed on the bus. She made it to the hospital alive but died shortly afterwards.”

“This isn’t a good time to bring this up, but we just suffered a major setback and we need to rethink our strategy,” McCloud said. “This case is going to come down to your testimony. I’m still optimistic about our chances, but you have to be the most compelling witness in this case. Your recollection of details is what’s going to persuade a jury to vote for a conviction. Can you meet me at seven?”

Nina shook Marc awake. “We have big trouble.”

“What?” he asked without moving.

“Constance is gone. No more star witness.”

Marc popped up like a Jack-in-the-Box. “Where did she go?”

To hell is my best guess.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Gledé Browne Kabongo began writing at age 14 when she covered soccer matches for her hometown newspaper.  She has also written for the Patriot Ledger and Metrowest Daily News, two Massachusetts based newspapers. She earned a master’s degree in communications from Clark University, and once had dreams of winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. These days her dreams have shifted to winning the Pulitzer for fiction, and a Best Screenplay Academy Award. For the past decade, Gledé has worked in senior marketing roles for organizations in the Information Technology, publishing and non-profit sectors. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.
Author website: http://www.gledebrownekabongo.com
Twitter: @gkabongo
Buy links
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iUniverse
Gledé will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour.